The present invention relates to forceps, and, in particular, to two sets of forceps that are paired together to permit one person to perform a function that usually requires two people, each holding a forceps.
When a surgeon is performing surgery and is joining two adjacent edges of tissue together, the surgeon usually grasps one tissue with a pair of forceps and, in the other hand, holds a stapler or other joining device. The surgeon depends upon an assistant with a second pair of forceps to grasp the second tissue in order to bring the two tissues together, and the surgeon then staples or otherwise joins the tissues. Any type of tissue may be involved, such as skin, blood vessel walls, or visceral edges.
It has been recognized in the prior art that it would be desirable to devise a mechanism that would permit the surgeon to join the two edges of tissue together using only one hand, leaving the other hand free to hold a stapler, needle driver, or other device for securing the tissue edges together. Simultaneous elevation of the edges so grasped would obtain an eversion of the tissue edges that are coapted, a desired consequence in tissue closure. However, the prior art devices of which we are aware are difficult to use with any precision and are unfamiliar to the surgical hand.